Inside Asian Gaming

IAG AUG 2021年8月 亞博匯 28 COVER STORY Genting Highlands property, Resorts World Genting) and upped the ante in 2010 with the opening of its hugely successful Singapore IR, Resorts World Sentosa. “They have mastered the creation of fully integrated properties, and that is evident with Resorts World Las Vegas. The goal was to make our resort the most technologically advanced property in the market and to add something truly unique to the Strip with three Hilton brands under one roof, an outstanding food and beverage portfolio, global entertainment partners and much more. Our chairman (Lim Kok Thay) is very hands-on and a true visionary.” The property is also transformational for the northern end of the Strip, until recently home to a series of failed or unrealized projects. RWLV is built on the site of the famous Stardust Resort and Casino, which was demolished by US casino company Boyd Gaming in 2007 to make way for a new US$4.8 billion project called Echelon Place. When the Global Financial Crisis hit in 2009, Boyd put its IR plans on hold and eventually sold the land to Genting in 2013 for US$350 million. Another planned IR project, Crown Resorts’ Alon, was also shelved when the Australian casino giant sold the 35-acre plot of land located directly to the north of RWLV to Wynn Resorts for US$300 million in 2018. That plot remains empty to this day. However, there are hopes that the opening of RWLV and the nearby Las Vegas Convention Center will spark a new development boom up north, perhaps starting with the long-stalled Fontainebleau, whose current owner has